Disney+’s “National Treasure” spinoff series introduced its newest treasure hunter in a teaser released at San Diego Comic-Con on Thursday, and revealed that another familiar face would be returning.
Though the teaser is quick, there’s plenty to be seen. It opens in an office, where our new hero has a whole board set up with maps and information, presumably related to the next treasure that’s out in the world. Wearing a very Indiana Jones-esque hat and jacket, she takes off her hat to reveal long hair and looks straight into camera.
And so we meet Jess, the series’ heroine played by Lisette Olivera. According to the official “National Treasure: Edge of History” synopsis, she’s “a brilliant and resourceful DREAMer who embarks on the adventure of a lifetime to uncover the truth about her family’s mysterious past and save a lost Pan-American treasure.”
You can watch the teaser for “National Treasure: Edge of History” in the video above.
But eagle-eyed fans will notice a few artifacts we’ve seen before in the teaser footage. If you pause at just the right moments, you’ll see the multi-lensed pair of glasses created by Benjamin Franklin and the pipe of the Charlotte that Ben Gates (Nicolas Cage) found in “National Treasure.” Those aren’t the only ties to the original film though.
During the panel, it was also revealed that “National Treasure: Edge of History” is bringing back another familiar face. Granted, we knew that Riley Poole would return, with Justin Bartha set to reprise his role from the films as a guest star in the series. But Harvey Keitel (“Pulp Fiction”), who played cranky-but-surprisingly-understanding FBI Agent Peter Sadusky in the “National Treasure” film franchise, will also return as a guest star for the series. It was revealed during the panel that he is the grandfather of Jake Austin Walker’s character, Liam.
The “National Treasure” team also noted during their presentation that at least one other character from the movies will show up in the series — but they were tight-lipped on who it’d be. Of course, Nicolas Cage seems to be a long shot. During an audience Q&A, the cast and showrunners admitted that Cage has been pretty busy, but Olivera noted that “We’re hoping maybe one day” he’ll stop in.
In addition to Olivera, the series stars Zuri Reed (“Flatbush Misdemeanors”) as Tasha, Jess’ ride-or-die friend who joins the treasure hunt but is forced to reevaluate her belief system to help her best friend; Antonio Cipriano (“Jagged Little Pill” on Broadway) as Oren, a lovable but self-obsessed goofball with an encyclopedic knowledge of conspiracy theories that attempts to win back Tasha’s affections; Jordan Rodrigues (“Lady Bird”) as Ethan, Jess’ childhood best friend who has loved her since the day they met; Jake Austin Walker (“Rectify”) as Liam, a swoon-worthy struggling musician, with a permanent chip on his shoulder, who comes from a long line of treasure hunters; Catherine Zeta-Jones (“Chicago”) as Billie, a badass billionaire, black-market antiquities expert and treasure hunter who lives by her own code; and Lyndon Smith (“Parenthood”) as FBI Agent Ross, a dogged investigator who begins to realize there’s a greater conspiracy at hand.
Jerry Bruckheimer, Cormac and Marianne Wibberley, Jonathan Littman and KristieAnne Reed executive produce the series alongside Rick Muirragui, who also serves as a writer. Jon Turteltaub is also an executive producer. Mira Nair is directing and executive producing.